Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-12-31
SOUTHERN STANDARD


Snow, want you to help u.s."
added,
command me! What shall | do?"
Well, we wish to be married at
once. Will you arrange the details?"
"CertainlyW
Turning from the door, where | had
gone to see if our carriage was ready.
| saw Weldon close a memorandum
book. He had the necessary data
and said he was going to get the
license.
you'll find US at the residence of
our mutual friend Rector" | said.
"All right and he has gone.
Rev. Mr.. Rector had been our class
mate, and we had all agreed to give
him a job whenever we had anything
to do in his line.
Thither we drove rapidly. Look
ing abStractly out of the window, nv
atfianced seemed wrapped in thought.
How lovely she looked! How |
longed to take her in my arms and
kiss her, or ven squeeze one of the
little shapely hands that lay idly on
her lap. But / heroically kept nv
promise.
care you sorry, dear" l said.
"No," she said promptly. And
by degrees she told me that the very
boldness of my approach and the con-
triton affected had aroused all the
romance in her really poetic nature;
and when, her woman's intuition had
had sati fled her that | could be trust
ed she had unrescrvedly given me
her whole heart. What rapture
Words can not tell how much loved
her. Both of us were also impelled
by another impulse than love, as |
arterward determined.
Impatient at the delay, | stepped
out of Mr.. Rector's gate and down to
the corner to see if Weldon was com
ing. AS | reached the corner, / ran
face to face against my fater. What
should ! do?
"Why, Clyde, where have you
been 2" he asked.
"Attending an agricultural fair"
l promptly punned with the utmost
calmness. For the damsel had at
tended in the country was fair Ag-
rico-lass. But | dreaded what might
come next.
"Ah? Glad to see you take an in
terest in such things. Well talk of
it tonight when you get home"
And to my infinite relief he hurried
on; and | hurried back, and was
soon welding matrimonial letters
about myself and cone Of the fairest
women in the world.
When the minister, in the cerem0-
ny, distinctly pronounced our names
Clyde Hylton and Florence Bruce
one after the other, we could not
restrain the impulse to glance at each
others face, despite the solemnity of
the impressive service of the Episco-
pal ritual. Up to that time neither of
us had known the others name. Nor
had we thought to ask, Both were
astonished. When we reached our
carriage we could only look at one
another and laugh. Though it was
serious it was still ludicrous. In my
desperate device to escape my fathers
ward, had married her; and, in at
tempting to place herself beyond the
possibility of being unwillihgly we'd
ded to Clyde Hylton, she had DELHI
erately, though unconscious of it,
him. She had heard that
was dull, hard, grasping man, who
would probably make his wife's life
burden.
We knew each other now, and de-
cided to say nothing. of our escapade.
Weldon promised also.
"But you played me trick in that |
wager, Hylton," he added.
"Never mind; that's off," / re-
piled.
Though rash, we had certainly not |
been mercenary. For / had risked |
disinheritance for her, without know
ing that she had a penny, and she
had hazzarded all for me.
Before reaching my fathers house,
left the carriage, and entering the
house after, vas formally introduced
to "Miss Bruce, my ward" TO his
obvious satisfaction, we dutifully told
him that we were willing to wed as
acknowledgements, ifconvenient,
md have it DONE" So it was decided. |
Christmas, that l had SO dreaded,
and ] was not sorry, you
nay be sure.
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